


Ithaca

by notfromcold



Category: Lymond Chronicles - Dorothy Dunnett
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, In Media Res, Lymond lets someone help, Lymond whump, Medical, alcohol mention, by some miracle, nothing too graphic but you know, slightly exasperated tending of wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-07-31 11:01:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20114023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notfromcold/pseuds/notfromcold
Summary: Francis Crawford accepts help for once.





	1. Chapter 1

"Lie down in case you faint," Archie said, arranging himself cross-legged on the ground and taking Lymond's arm into his lap with practiced practicality.

"If I didn't faint while I was taking care of it, I'm not going to while you are," Lymond pointed out, lying down obediently and pillowing his head on his uninjured arm.

Archie shook the bottle of whiskey in his general direction. "Have a bit more?"

"I've had enough. I'd like to be able to ride, still, when you're done with your mending. And," Lymond's lips quirked up at the edges, "it's a bit hard to drink while lying down. You should have thought of that earlier. Cease unraveling your shroud, Penelope, and get on with it."

Archie rolled his eyes. "I've seen you ride with more drink in you than this. And I'd rather avoid shrouds altogether. Alright, deep breath then let it out slow."

Lymond complied. The clouds chased each other across the sky. Under Archie's hands, his arm ached and stung by turns. Unburdened by responsibility for a brief time, he let himself drift.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: joint trauma.

He didn't faint when Archie re-set his elbow. But it was a nearer thing than he'd care to admit to anyone other than Archie, who'd already noticed and therefore didn't count.

"Breathe," Archie said. "In and out." He had stilled his hands and Lymond let himself be led, pulling in a breath and pushing it out again. Like the tide. He imagined his ribs moving up and down over the waves of air like a ship at anchor. His head felt oddly detached from the rest of him and he pressed it down against his free arm, trying to ground.

"Worst part's over..."

Lymond generally didn't appreciate such encouragement. But from Archie it was nearly tolerable. So he let it go without comment and, closing his eyes, rode out the splinting and bandaging on the ebb and flow of his own breath.

"Can ye ride?" Archie asked after giving him a tactful moment.

Lymond pushed himself up. The world spun, then stabilized, a whirl of green and brown clarifying itself into a landscape. "Better for having taken it easy on the whiskey," Lymond said.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm ashamed of "practiced practicality" but I also refuse to remove it from this story. So here we are: at an impasse.


End file.
